Sage and Fire
by imaginarya
Summary: Lillian moves to Bluebell to start over, but never expected to make such great friends. Will it lead to something more? Love triangle between Lillian, Cam, and Ash. Rated T for developments later.
1. Chapter 1

The adrenaline rush was intense as Lillian bounded over the mountain with zeal. Her horse, Starla, was just as enthusiastic as her rider, not even minding the heavy cart she pulled behind her. The open yet mountainous land was something so foreign to the two of them, who had come from a small town. Lillian had been quite enamored with the mountain landscape flashing by, so much so that she didn't see the poor fox up ahead.

With a startled neigh, Starla leapt over a small ridge to avoid the fox in the path, which quickly ran off. The cart busted its wheel and detached from the horse while Lillian was tossed off. Starla kept running while Lillian lay out on the ground, seeing stars as the breath was knocked out of her. Her head ached from the collision. Goodness, everything ached. As she tried to get her senses, two figures blocked out the sun. A serious looking woman in odd formal wear looked down on her with a frown and her hands on her hips, while a kindly looking old man in a top hat stood to the side.

"Are you alright dear?" The old man asked, and the stern woman helped Lillian up. She brushed herself off and smiled politely.

"Oh, yes, just a little dazed. Thank you," she said, feeling sheepish and cursing her horse in the back of her mind. What a first impression! The stern woman straightened her headdress, similar to a nun's habit, and returned her hands to her hips.

"I'm Ina," she started, and the old man interrupted with "I'm Rutger!" Ina scowled at him and continued. "We're mayors of the two towns on either side of this mountain. You're going to need somewhere to live, aren't you? There aren't any towns for many miles. You should live in Konohana! The freshest crops around grow there!" Ina smiled and laughed, obviously proud. Lillian wondered how she knew that she was moving, but figured her boxes gave it away.

"Bluebell's crops are just as fresh, but it's our animals that are truly amazing. You can raise anything, besides, it's so quaint!" Rutger said joyfully, and Ina glared at him before turning back to Lillian.

"What's your name, by the way? Can't live anywhere without a name!" She laughed, and Lillian looked down at her feet. Names just messed things up in her opinion, but Ina had a point. "I'm Lillian," she said with a polite smile. "And you're both right, I do need somewhere to live. I've always wanted to have a farm with a bunch of animals, so I guess Bluebell it is!" she said, and Ina turned her glare on her.

"Well, I guess things can't be helped… but you'll change your mind!" she promised before stalking off down to, presumably, Konohana. Rutger shook his head at his rival mayor and signaled for Lillian to follow him. When she looked at her stuff, Rutger told her not to worry about the boxes as he'd get villagers to help her later.

The walk to Bluebell was pleasant as Rutget prattled on about his village and the villagers. Lillian was growing excited to meet new people and get off to a fresh start, and hardly noticed when they arrived at a worn out but cozy looking house. Lillian gazed around as Rutger introduced her to her new home. There was a barn and small pen to her left, and a chicken coop to her right. It was beautiful.

"I'm sure you've had a long day. The house should be live in ready, so go make yourself at home. Tomorrow you can go to town and meet everyone. Welcome to Bluebell!" Rutger cheerfully said before taking off. It was true that Lillian did have a long day, but she wasn't quite ready for bed yet. So, instead, she wandered off back towards the mountain. She explored the edge of the mountain and found the path split. She could see part of the path veered up the mountain, but the other led to somewhere she didn't know. She followed it down to the entrance of a tunnel, and almost ventured in before someone yelled at her.

"Hey! Don't go in there!" Lillian turned to see who yelled, and saw a man around her age looking grumpily at her. He wore a lot of purple, and his hat hid a lot of his face. He approached her quickly, as if afraid she wouldn't listen.

"That tunnel collapsed a long time ago, but rocks still fall so it's dangerous. Don't go in there!" He scolded, and Lillian shrank at his harsh tone.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I just moved here today. I was going to try and get my boxes and noticed this tunnel. I promise not to go in." She said. Lillian was trying to be polite, but the young man still looked wary of her. He nodded, and turned to leave quietly. Not wanting to be left alone since it had gotten so dark, Lillian walked behind him.

"Um, my name is Lillian," she started, trying to keep up a conversation. If she was going to live in Bluebell, she wanted to at least try to make friends. The young man eyed her, as if trying to discern what she was up to. Lillian couldn't help but notice that they were a wonderful sage green, even in the dark.

"…I'm Cam," he said, and resumed being quiet as they reached the fork that would lead back to her farm. He stopped walking and nodded at her, tipping his hat. "Welcome to Bluebell, Lillian," he said, and offered a small smile before continuing towards what she could only assume was town. Lillian watched him walking away, wondering why he was even near the tunnel. At least he seemed nice. She yawned and walked back home.

Her bed was incredibly comfortable as she crawled in with a sigh of contentment. She was glad to be in a new home, a new town to leave her old self behind. Lillian hoped it wouldn't rain in the night, and that animals would leave her stuff alone. She half wanted to go out again, but her body refused to move, and she didn't want to run into another person to berate her… even if he was cute. She shook the thought away. She didn't need to think about romance now. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and went to sleep, dreaming of a successful farm and lots of sage.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Lillian awoke with a start. The sun shone brightly over the bed as it rose, waking her pleasantly. For a moment, she couldn't remember where she was or how she got there, but the memories of the day before came to her—riding through the mountain, suddenly moving to a new town, and her chance encounter with Cam. Lillian smiled briefly as she got out of bed and ready for the day. It was nice to look forward to new days instead of dreading them. When she went to get dressed, however, her smile became a frown. She didn't want to wear the same clothes again, but her clothes had all been left in the mountains in boxes, with the rest of her belongings.

After she reluctantly put on her day-old and dirty clothes, Lillian opened the door. A small parcel on the stoop caught her eye. A small handwritten note was on top—"_Lillian, welcome to Bluebell! Here's a welcoming gift for you; a new outfit for your new life. I hope it fits well, dear! –Rose."_ Lillian raised a brow. A new outfit as a welcome gift? It was odd, but didn't make her any less thankful. She opened the package and smiled happily. A red vest and yellow and red plaid dress greeted her, and much to her delight, fit wonderfully. She was pleased to also see a yellow bandana as well, and tied it over her hair.

Finally ready, Lillian started out towards the mountain and ran into Rutger again. "Ah, Lillian!" he called cheerfully to her, and walked with her up the mountain. "I was just about to go see if you were awake. I've enlisted some help for you to move your things," he said, and Lillian could have sworn she detected a wink. Before she could ask about it, though, a box nearly ran her over.

"Sorry!" the person holding the box apologized profusely as he fell over, his boxes toppling over on Lillian. She groaned, sitting up to see an adorable face looking at her with concern. "I am so sorry!" he apologized, helping Lillian to her feet. He rubbed the back of his head and blushed, embarrassed by his klutzy moment. "I didn't see you until it was too late, and then I tripped on top of that! Jeez, I'm sorry!"

"Ash, you really should watch where you are going. Lillian might have been hurt!" Rutger chastised the adorable young man. "Lillian? That's pretty! Also, I am really sorry!" He apologized again, but Lillian giggled and waved it away.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "It's becoming tradition for me to fall over on this mountain. I doubt I could climb it without injuring myself," she joked, and Ash laughed. "Well, I'll get these over to your house. I promise to be more careful!" he cheerfully said, and gathered the boxes up and headed back down the path towards Lillian's home. She watched him go with a light smile before continuing with Rutger to her boxes.

She saw Cam there, along with a few other new villagers she didn't know. Rutger took her around and introduced her. She met Jessica, Ash's mother, as well as Georgia and Grady, a daughter-father duo who owned a pet shop. Howard, a strangely effeminate man who was quite masculine, and his daughter Laney, the café owners, were really kind. Eileen, the blacksmith and carpenter, was also nice and quite funny.

With everyone's help, all of Lillian's things were moved in one trip. She thanked everyone profusely for their help, but it was waved off with an explanation of being a friendly town. However, Lillian was adamant about making it up to the town. Everyone took on a fiercer look when Rutger asked if she was a good cook. When Lillian admitted to being fairly decent, having won a couple of cooking festivals at her old town, they smiled gleefully.

"We are constant competitors with Konohana with Cooking Contests. They think they're so good, when we're obviously better. We've won four more times than them, but they wouldn't have you believe it, the liars," he spoke viciously, becoming a completely different person than the grandfatherly figure he had been just a moment before. The rest of the villagers nodded their agreement, muttering darkly. "The Cooking Contests are the only time we really meet with Konohana since the tunnel under the mountain collapsed, but they insist on being boastful trash talkers, going on about how the quality of their crops outshine our animal products. Well, the Harvest Goddess hasn't blessed them any more than us!" Lillian was starting to feel like she accidentally wandered into the Twilight Zone.

"Well, I can do my best to help Bluebell win," she promised vaguely, and everyone cheered delightfully.

"I'm sure you want to get settled in, so we'll get out of your hair. I'll be back by later," Rutger said, and everyone quickly filed out, with only Cam and Ash timidly waiting behind. Ash approached Lillian with a wide smile. "Welcome to Bluebell. I'm sorry our introduction sucked, but I hope we can be good friends!" he said happily, and Lillian smiled in return, nodding. Cam watched the exchanged and smiled politely. "Me, too," he said quietly, and Lillian's smile became a little shier. His quietness was contagious.

"We better get going. See you later, Lillian!" Ash said, and he and Cam left. Lillian looked at her boxes and sighed. She was so grateful for everything, but still hated unpacking. Still, it only took a couple of hours to get everything completely unpacked and put away, and the house was starting to look quite homey. Just around the time she finished breaking down her boxes to hide under her bed, a knock came from the door. Lillian answered to see Rutger standing on her stoop, completely jolly.

"Are you still busy? We've got another housewarming gift for you. Two, actually," he asked, and Lillian followed him outside to see Ash had returned, this time with a cow and a little chicken. "This is an animal raising community, but we can't have you going on nothing. So, Jessica and Ash have made a generous donation to get you started. You can name them whatever you want!" Rutger explained, and Lillian squealed with delight. "You'll probably think I'm the strangest person in the world, but it is family tradition to name farm animals after food, so Ribeye and Nugget," she said, blushing profusely but no less happy. Ash laughed heartily. "Better than Moo! That's what Cheryl wants to name all the cows," he explained. "Oh! Cheryl is my little sister, she didn't help out yesterday because she can't exactly carry big boxes!"

"Thank you very much!" Lillian hugged the newly dubbed Ribeye's neck, who mooed happily. Rutger also handed her a large box. "I've also got some crop growing tools for you—a hoe, a watering can, a sickle and some seeds to get started. You need vegetables to cook to eat, so while your fields aren't that large, you could still manage something," he explained, and Lillian smiled happily. "You are very generous, I'm so happy!" she said, eyes about to water with happiness. Rutger and Ash waved it away. "We want you to succeed. We're delighted to have a new villager, it isn't a common occurrence this far out," he said, and patted Lillian on the shoulder. "You'll do well here, dear," he said, and smiled kindly at her before he and Ash said their goodbyes and left Lillian to again get settled and start on her farm.

After her animals were put in their respective pens, Lillian started clearing suitable land for growing crops. Her stomach growled loudly, but she didn't have any food or any money to buy it. With a groan, she pondered what to do. She was sure that she had seen bamboo growing on the mountain, and fish in shallow streams. She grabbed her bag and took off to see what she could forage.

The mountains proved plentiful. Lillian managed to catch quite a few fish and found some walnuts and bamboo. She was sure she wasn't going to starve here. On her way back down the mountain, she saw a flash of purple in the corner of her eye, and looked up to see Cam going down a zipline over some cliffs on the mountain. He landed gracefully and walked into the grove out of her sight. A little curious and bored, Lillian decided to follow him and climbed up to the zipline, and felt a huge rush of adrenaline as she flew over the ground below. Unfortunately, she lacked a good reaction time and crashed into the tree the zipline was tied to.

As she lay on the ground, cursing the mountain for constantly injuring her, Lillian heard footsteps approach. "Are you okay?" she heard Cam ask, and she sat up with a groan. "I need to work on my dismount," she said with a straight face, and Cam hid a smile behind his hand and chuckled. "Yeah, I'd say you do," he joked, and helped Lillian stand. "Have you not used the zipline yet?" he asked and Lillian shook her head. "This mountain is pretty extreme. Where I'm from, we have mountains but no ziplines or cliffs, really. It's more of a forest." She thought for a moment with a smile, remembering her time exploring as a child before looking back at Cam.

"So, what are you doing up here? I wanted to see what you were up to," she said, feeling a little silly now. Cam shrugged, looking away. "I was trying to get some things for my shop," he said, sounding almost embarrassed.

"You own your own shop? That's amazing! What do you sell?" Lillian asked enthusiastically. All the businesses she ever knew were family owned, never owned by someone as young as Cam or herself. "I sell flowers. I make bouquets and perfumes, and sell seeds as well," he said stiffly, like he didn't want to admit it. "That's great! I bet that takes a lot of skill! Could you teach me sometime? I've never been good at flower arranging. My mom always teased the little bouquets I would make," Lillian said with a chuckle. Cam looked at her, stunned. While his shop had grown to be respected, when he first started he had been laughed at. It fueled his decision to move to Bluebell in the first place.

"Do you want help looking for flowers? I have a pretty good eye for foraging," Lillian offered, and Cam consented. They spent an hour searching the mountain for any type of flower, and Lillian was glad to see that there were also herbs to be found, and collected some to experiment with cooking. She helped Cam find plenty of wild flowers to balance out the ones he grew behind the café as well. As Cam lectured Lillian on the different flowers and herbs of different seasons, Lillian's stomach growled loudly.

"Are you alright? You sound very hungry," Cam spoke with worry, but Lillian tried to laugh it off. "I was actually foraging for a meal when I first came out here, but I forgot all about it. Would you like to join me for dinner? I don't have much, but I'm good at making something from nothing," Lillian offered, and Cam blushed, pausing a moment before nodding.

"I don't mind, but isn't that a bit forward?" he asked, making Lillian stop in her tracks. "How do you mean? My family had friends over to eat all the time. Sharing meals is a good mark of friendship," Lillian explained, and started down the mountain. "Well, you can join if you choose to, I don't want you to think I'm trying to be pushy or forward," she said, turning to him with a smile. Cam watched her go, and willed himself to follow. "Okay, as friends," he said, and missed the small chuckle Lillian gave.


End file.
